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...Some say the same of Iraq today. They are mistaken. (Applause.) The nation of Iraq -- with its proud heritage, abundant resources and skilled and educated people -- is fully capable of moving toward democracy and living in freedom. (Applause.)

Serious question, Palpatine. Do you think this is really going to happen?

The world has a clear interest in the spread of democratic values, because stable and free nations do not breed the ideologies of murder. They encourage the peaceful pursuit of a better life. And there are hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East....

One could easily look at history and say that the "spread of democratic values" has produced nothing of the kind. The Weimar Republic was a democracy, wasn't it?

I suspect that a stable and free nation is the necessary condition for a successful democracy (or republic). To suggest that democracy actually produces stability and/or freedom may be inverting the relationship between the two.

I'll try this again so my system doesn't crash.

First, I think Iraq is capable, maybe even more so than any nation in that corner of the world besides Syria - mainly because that country has the needed institutions in place, and without the cruel thugs gaming it, they have a chance.

You know as well as I do that "democratic values" in this context is a general concept and not a term of art - it includes universal sufferage which includes women and minorities, the ability to speak out politically without reprisal, and a system of government that allows average citizens a participatory voice. Griping about the Weimar Republic is a strawman at best - German citizens voting for a man that destroyed the very institutions that gave them a political voice doesn't exactly strike me as a ringing denunciation of participatory governments.